


The Origins of Diamonds

by justinsbuzz



Series: The end... [13]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Bleh, Crack, F/F, F/M, Family Secrets, Fluff, Gen, Hidden Depths, Slice of Life, ancient civilizations, too tired to write all of these tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:42:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26348056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justinsbuzz/pseuds/justinsbuzz
Summary: Steven goes to Homeworld to get some answers, while his friends and family come along. As they learned more about the truth about the Diamonds, A hidden evil emerges from Steven's past.
Relationships: Blue Diamond/Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Doug Maheswaran/Priyanka Maheswaran
Series: The end... [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1509437
Kudos: 7





	1. Bury the helmet.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. 3 chapters. It's a long one, not going to lie. But it's going to be the main turning point in the series. or at least the beginning of the end...

The Origins of Diamonds.

Steven sat on the couch, staring at the holographic pad that was showing the interactive 3D image of his skeleton, as well as the pink cracks that covered multiple parts of it. Slowly turning it, he mostly examined the skull and the cracks that came from the left side. At the same time, Greg, Connie, her parents, and the gems looked at Steven with a wide arrangement of surprised and disbelieving facial expressions. The only person willing to say anything was Amethyst.

“So… just… let me get this straight. What you’re telling me, telling US, is that… Pink Diamond is trying to reform herself?” Amethyst asked.

“Yeah.” Steven replied, looking down cautiously at the holographic skull.

“And I wish I had a better way of saying this, but she’s trying to reform inside… of you, glob that sounded wrong.” Amethyst asked while looking sick.

“Sadly, she’s possibly been reset. and the only way to fix all of ‘this’, is to, as the room stated, ‘go to Homeworld to have White Diamond extract my gem before it was too late’.” Steven repeated what he remembered. “And it was less of her reforming inside of me, and more of… well… let’s say that if we don’t figure this out soon, the term ‘meat balloon’ might take on a new meaning.”

“Steven, the term ‘meat balloon’ has no meaning! Because it’s not real. Unlike this…just… all of this!” Connie exclaimed out loud, looking stressed out and terrified. “Steven… bae… I… words… brain… potatoes.”

“I kind of share the same sentiment with Connie, Steven.” Priyanka said, looking dazed and very conflicted between believing in logic, and everything Steven had just said. “I mean… The room TOLD you to go to Homeworld and have White Diamond TAKE YOUR GEM OUT?! How can a room TELL YOU ANYTHING?!”

“We could show you really quick, or Steven can. Apparently, the room thinks that I’m not good enough to talk to.” Obsidian said, sitting on top of the kitchen counter, and looking annoyed.

“No… no need… but… how did the room talk to you again?” Priyanka asked, looking more and more worried by the second.

“Well… the rooms AI did. Apparently… well, let’s say this holographic projector was the room.” Steven said, pointing at the pad. “And, apparently, the program that runs the room, which happens to be an artificial intelligence operating system-”

“Okay, I get it. I get it. I just…” Priyanka attempted to speak before trailing off. “I’m going to be honest with you, Steven. Back when you and Connie fought those weird gem experiments at the hospital, that was… hard to absorb. Zombie lion came in at a close second. But this? I-I…”

Priyanka began to massage the brow of her forehead and let out a sigh.

“Yeah… what she means to say is that this is completely insane.” Doug spoke. “I mean, gem ‘resetting’? Your mom trying to reform while it’s still fused with you? Having to go to Homeworld so some person could yank it out. A lot of this sounds really dangerous.”

“Maybe we should take a step back on this… Steven?” Greg spoke calmly, still trying to remain somewhat stable. “Talk to us. After everything, how are you holding up?”

Steven turned off the holographic pad and sat back on the couch. He didn’t speak for a moment before turning to his dad.

“Well… Are you o-” Steven had attempted to ask a question before he was cut off.

“Nope!” Greg exclaimed. “Don’t ask me if I’m okay. I may have had a minor heart attack a couple of weeks ago, and also possibly recently, but I’m more worried about you! Please, Steven, don’t try to turn the tables, son. This isn’t about me. This is about you.”

Steven didn’t like the position he was placed in, he had to say something that could comfort and reassure everyone that things are okay. This time though, it wasn’t. All eyes were on him.

“How… how can a gem just… reset? Gem’s aren’t just computers, right? You might not be biological in the same way as a human, but you’re not machines either. You’re made of light… right?” Steven blurted out the question, feeling somewhat silly.

“Not going to lie, man. I don’t have the slightest clue.” Amethyst responded. “The moment I popped out of the ground, I guess I just did my own thing. I didn’t even quite know what a gem really was until I met Rose. Heck, for a time, I thought I was a slug. Or a bird. Or a toilet. I never understood the concept of a gem, so I can’t really answer.”

“I’m guessing that what you are trying to say is that you’re feeling confused about things then?” Priyanka asked.

“Yeah… I don’t really understand gem culture. Just the stories I was told when I was younger.” Steven responded. “All I know was just brief snippets of history and certain structures of gem society, but that’s as far as it goes. Back when I was younger, whenever I asked more about it, I was just told that it was nothing for me to worry about.”

Steven’s eyes darted over to Pearl and Garnet, and nearly everyone else followed. But before anyone could ask Pearl anything, Amethyst intercepted everyone’s attention.

“Why not ask Peridot?” Amethyst blurted out, which raised a few rational eyebrows. At that point, Peridot began to giggle with anticipation. “I mean, she’s pretty much the egghead of all things gems, plus, she is one of the most recent gems to come from Homeworld, more or less.”

“But, wait, I thought it was Spinel who was the most recent person to come from Homeworld?” Connie asked.

“Yeah… nope. Honestly, first time I went back to Homeworld after the… drill-y thingy incident. I honestly couldn’t tell my up from my down once I got there.” Spinel spoke sheepishly. “And no. I wasn’t walking on my hands or anything. I fact… I was kind of sheltered. Only saw glimpses of the greater Homeworld area. Most of the time, I was just cooped up at the Diamond courts area. And even there everything was different.”

“But don’t you know anything about Diamond history, or just anything about gems?” Steven asked. Spinel started to look depressed.

“Well… come to think of it, not really. Even when I was created, it was only to be her friend, and I was only meant to stay inside of the garden.” Spinel replied in a sad tone. “You probably know more about gem society than I do, Steven.”

“I see.” Steven sighed, turning to look at Peridot, who seemed to be shaking right next to a slightly nervous looking lapis. “Well, Peri, wh-”

“I’M SO GLAD YOU ASKED, STEVEN!” Peridot spoke. “You see Steven, hundreds of thousands of years ago, the planet that we know of as “Homeworld” was apparently a spherical planet comprised of compressed carbon and a cornucopia of enriched minerals that mainly laid in wait to wake up when a giant meteorite containing a huge diamond core surrounded by metallic hydrogen and impeccably pure fluorine struck the ultra-heated planet with enough force to cool it off. And using the highly energized fluorine, the heavy impact of the metallic hydrogen striking the ultra-dense planet, and the static electricity that it would have conducted, White Diamond had emerged. And using the energy she harnessed from the impact, she began to literally carve out a new civilization out of a dead world where nothing could have, or ever did, exist!”

Greg, Doug, and Steven’s eyes grew wide while watching Peridot tell everything she knew about the Diamonds origins, while Connie and her mom narrowed their eyes.

“Um… mom. How can a gas remain pressurized in a metallic state in spa-” Connie was about to ask her mom before being yelled at.

“DO NOT QUESTION THE ORIGIN OF THE ILLISTRI- um… uh… well… that’s just what I was told. In all honesty, I just kept to my work and didn’t as too many questions.” Peridot brought the fervor down a few dozen notches. “Actually, thinking about it, I don’t think there are many gems who really know the truth. I mean, pressurized hydrogen in an unpressurized environment? Yeesh…”

Lapis patted the head of a deflated Peridot, ultimately causing everyone’s attention to turn back to Pearl and Garnet.

“Pearl? Garnet? You think you got anything you want to add, or are we going to keep this as another horrific secret that’s going to stay buried until it’s too late?” Steven asked flatly.

“Steven.” Greg spoke, sounding slightly disappointed. “I know that I shouldn’t say it, but, maybe don’t be too hard on them.”

“Too hard? Dad? Pearl kept one of mom’s most dark secrets from everyone. Honestly, I’m really trying to trust her, but I don’t know if I really c-” Steven tried to explain his reason for not trusting Pearl before his gem began to glow brightly, now also emitting a slight hum. Pearl gasped. “Okay, Mom! Yeesh! Okay. Breathe… Okay. Pearl, what do you know about the Diamonds?”

Pearl looked down at her feet and rubbed her arms, looking guilty.

“Steven, in perfect honesty, the origins of the Diamonds are probably one of the biggest mysteries in the history of the gem civilization.” Pearl spoke softly. “No offence Peridot, but common gems never asked because it wasn’t their place. Pearls were held at a lower standard. But not even your mom knows. Maybe Blue or Yellow might, but… White Diamond is probably the only one who does. And the odds of her wanting to tell anyone would be slim. But after everything that has happened, she might tell you.”

“I see…” Steven said, breathing a reluctant sigh. “I guess we’re going to Homeworld then.”

“NOPE!” Connie declared loudly. “You mean ‘We’. We are going to Homeworld. Like it or not, Steven, I swore we would be in this together. Protest all you want, but I’m going with. Even if it means I have to duct tape myself to your back, and you have to lug me all over the place, I will be going wi- you said ‘we’re’ didn’t you?”

Steven gave a cheeky smile and nodded.

“And you didn’t want to say anything because you love it when you see me be passionate about wanting to go on a harrowing adventure with you in a stubborn way?” Connie asked flatly, to which Steven nodded. “Dang it, Steven…”

“I’m going too.” Greg stated, with everyone else nodding that they would be going with him as well. or at least all but one person. Garnet might have been the only holdout.

“Garnet…” Steven began to speak. “I know I’m grounded. And this may be a bit overdue, but I’m sorry about the cake thing. It’s just… I trusted you when I was at a really low point, and-”

“It’s okay, Steven.” Garnet interrupted. “I’m… I’m sorry. More than anything. You were going through a rough and miserable time with your gem overacting. I kept thinking that it was just some rebellious teenage thing, or just some trivial problem that could be solved with some callous and empty advice. I either treated you like an inexperienced gem, or a teenager. But you’re more than those things. You were someone who needed my help. you were there to put me back together all those years ago, I should have been there for you when you needed me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“Well, you’re here now. Right when I need you, too.” Steven and Garnet smiled at one another. “In fact, I’m not going to leave anyone out anymo- um, where’s Jasper?”

The energy in the room had grown dim, as most of the people either looked down, or out the window at a small orange lump that was sitting on the beach, huddled into themselves. Steven noticed a large, orange helmet laying on the ground He hasn’t seen it since the Anchorage incident over a year ago.

“Oh.” Steven said, sounding worried. “I probably should go talk to her.”

As Steven walked over to the door, he stopped at where the helmet laid down. Steven wouldn’t know what to do with something like this. It would be less of a memento, and more of a reminder of a sour memory. A point in time that two people would do anything to forget. Or at least Steven would. He looked out the window, still seeing Jasper slumped in the sand, not quite sure what to talk to her about, or how to help. He just knew he had to. But before he could take another step, he saw, for a brief moment, someone wearing a mauve hijab instantly appearing at the door. But before ringing a doorbell, the person swung open the door without giving a second thought.

“Who’s ready for a study buddies’ weekend!” Patricia cheered out loud, before actually reading the room, and the somber tone it took. “Um… bad time?”

“Uh…” Steven hummed, looking over at Connie and Amethyst.

“I got this, Steven. Go take care of Jasper.” Connie said as she led Patricia into the house. “As for you Patricia, our weekend kind of got a little… complicated.”

It wasn’t already noon. And yet, the heat had already rolled in. He could even feel the heat emanating from the sand beneath his sandals as he walked over to Jasper, who had continued to look out onto the ocean, tears steadily streaming down her face. Before Steven could even ask what was wrong, Jasper spoke first.

“I… I don’t deserve to be here. Or even be in your presence.” Jasper mumbled. “Do you even remember what happened that evening? What I did?”

“Yeah… and I saw the x-ray. Not going to lie, it kind of left a mark.” Steven said casually.

“It didn’t just leave a mark, Steven. I nearly killed you.” Jasper replied with a slightly familiar scoff. “And for what? Some passively misguided attempt at picking a fight in a war long over? Wanting vengeance for the death of a diamond that never left? I don’t deserve to live on this planet. Or any planet.”

“You do deserve to live on this planet though.” Steven said as he sat down on the hot sand next to Jasper. “This is your home after all. And you’ve definitely earned your right to stay and grow, just like every other gem.”

“But Steven, I almost killed you… with THAT thing.” Jasper replied, flinching at the sight of the tangerine colored helmet. “I want nothing to do with that thing. Just… get rid of it. Throw it into a volcano or something. Just get it away from me.”

At that moment, Steven came up with an ingenious plan.

“Well, Jasper, I’m not sure what I could do with this. I’m not too comfortable having this around either.” Steven spoke, feeling the flat edges of the helmet. “But… I think I know how we could get rid of it, and maybe turn a new leaf.”

Jasper looked confused when Steven began using her helmet as a shovel to dig into the sand.

“What are you doing?” Jasper asked, looking skeptical at what Steven is doing.

“Humans on Earth have a saying about burying the hatchet, which means that they just let bygones be bygones. So that’s what I’m going to do. clean slate for the both of us.” Steven explained as he continued to dig. “And Jasper, I know you’re sorry about what happened, and you feel like you don’t deserve to be here. But maybe burying this would be a good start to heal things between us. I want to be your friend, and I want you to be mine. So do you think you can help me bury the, well, helmet?”

Jasper wiped away the tears and nodded.

As they dug into the hot sand, Steven explained everything that had happened inside of the room, and what he needed to do. and by the time they had dug a somewhat impressive hole in the beach, Steven handed over the helmet, in which Jasper then proceeded to drop it down into the wet, sandy hole. And after they filled the whole back up, Jasper looked back up at Steven and spoke.

“Questioning the origins of the Diamonds used to carry a steep punishment of anywhere between being restarted to just being outright shattered. It ended up being just an unspoken rule that no one should ever try to uncover the origins of the Diamonds. Jasper explained pensively. “At some point, someone had come up with an idea to tell an outlandish story to make the Diamonds look insanely powerful. Not like they needed it or anything. But the mysteries of the origins is something that no one has ever tried to find out for over hundreds of thousands of years.”

“So, should I try to ask?” Steven asked. “Or should I just let it go?”

Jasper looked into Stevens eyes with a sense of indecisive uncertainty of how to give a proper answer.

“Honestly, if it were me, I would just let it go out of fear of getting shattered. But with how much things have changed on Homeworld…” Jasper trailed off as she watched the tide lap against the shore. “Go for it. You are, in a sense, a Diamond after all. And you have the right to know who your mom really was. Who the diamonds really are. Then again, priorities first. You need to have that gem taken care of.”

“Yeah. I just don’t know what would happen when it gets pulled out of me. What would happen to my human form? Would I start dying?” Steven asked, looking worried. “Would all of the past injuries come back to haunt me?”

An idea had struck Jasper, causing any depression in her demeanor to vanish, replaced with a sense of founded brilliance.

“I might have an idea about that, Steven.” Jasper spoke, with a slightly unsettling grin on her face. “Roses fountain is basically a literal spring of healing essence. And since the vines, flowers, and most of the plants there have a ton of that concentrated essence in its roots… I’m going to be right back. I’ll meet you guys on Homeworld! Trust me, you won’t regret it!”

Jasper ran off towards the temple, leapt up to the warp pad on one of the hands of the statue, and vanished. Steven wanted to trust her. And if there was ever a better time to try to test that trust, Steven had felt that he could have used a few practice runs. It didn’t matter now though. Something in his gut is telling him that he can trust her with his life now. The Jasper that nearly killed him on that beach nearly 4 years ago had been buried deep in the sand. The person who had just left, on the other hand, would instantly fit right at home with all of the other Famethysts in Amethysts contact list.

As Steven got to the porch, Connie walked out of the house to meet him.

“Um, hey.” Connie spoke. “How’d things go with Jasper?”

“Well, she seems to be feeling better. She said she would meet up with us on Homeworld after swinging by Roses garden.” Steven replied. “She might have an idea that could keep me alive if something were to happen to me when White removes my gem.”

“If she does…” Connie sighed, causing Steven to look at Connie with curiosity. “Steven, I know it’s just my opinion, but removing your gem… I still remember those nightmares. The sight of having your gem being taken out. Your lifeless body falling to the ground. I’m… I’m not sure how I feel about all of this.”

“To be honest, Connie, neither do I.” Steven replied, reaching out and holding Connie’s hands. “But I’m at the end of my gem here. And who knows, maybe there would be another way. Something safer. I get where you’re coming from. And unlike my dreams, I won’t be alone. I’ll have you there, and Amethyst, and Peridot, and the other gems, our parents. And even Blue and Yellow will be there. It’s going to be okay.”

Steven gave a reassuring smile as he and Connie moved in close and gave each other a small peck on the lips.

“If you say so, Steven. I trust you.” Connie said, squeezing Steven’s hands.

“So… Patricia…” Steven began to speak, not sure how to ask why Patricia was here directly.

“Oh, yeah. Well, that’s something I need to ask you.” Connie said, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Apparently, a couple of weeks ago, I kind of said that she could stay the weekend with us while her parents were out of town. It was kind of before all of the craziness started happening, and… her parents had already left for Empire City.”

“Oh… wow.” Steven lightly winced.

“Yeah.” Connie replied. “And… I talked to her. About all of this.”

“Yeah?” Steven asked.

“Well, she wanted me to ask you if it was okay if she went with us to Homeworld.” Connie said sheepishly. “Is it okay if she did?”

“Um, if she’s up for going to an alien planet, uncovering hundreds of thousands of years of ancient secrets, and maybe trying to find out what’s wrong with my gem by doing something really risky, then I don’t see why not.” Steven replied all at once.

“So… yes?” Connie asked, looking for a more concrete answer.

“Yeah. She can come.” Steven replied more directly before he heard a slight squealing and giggling sound. “Just no flash photography. And try to stay with us and not wander off! Homeworld is a large place, and even the Diamond pavilion is ridiculously large.”

“Will do!” Patricia cheered from inside the house. Connie can only shrug as she and Steven chuckled.


	2. Walking with Diamonds.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and the group talk to the Diamonds to see what advice they can offer Steven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's kind of long. Get snacks.

A large beam of light cascaded down from the sky above Homeworld, and onto one of the multiple large warp pads, arranged in a galactic spiral shape on top of a larger plateau in the middle of a communal roundabout. Right in the middle of the Diamond capital. It felt like ages since he, Connie, and the gems were last here. Back then, the last thing they had seen was a landscape of chaos and fire as the rebellion rocked Homeworld. The 4 points were of separate colors, but beginning to mirror the flames and smoke from the lower levels. But now, it was as though they had come to a completely different planet. Steven was the only one who had recently been here nearly a year ago, which makes him the leader of the group.

“Okay, everyone, let’s just try to stay together. I know there’s a ton of interesting things to look at, but at the same time, we’re kind of here on business.” Steven told the large, starry eyed group. “But I promise the sooner we take care of my gem, the sooner we can goof off.”

Steven began to feel unsure about bringing everyone along, since almost everyone, except Connie, Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet, and Spinel seemed to be the only one paying attention. The adults were trying their best to keep their jaws from dropping at the sight of multicolored minarets, spires, and citadels that dot the landscape. Peridot and Lapis at least attempted to pay attention for the most part. But probably one of the worst offenders was the slightly hyperactive Patricia, who refused to stop grinning.

“Oh man, this is so cooooooooooooool! I’m on an alien planet. Breathing in alien air. Please tell me they have alien street food that I can eat and have a 50/50 chance of either getting sick, or gaining superpowers that could destroy countless worlds? Pleeeeeeeese!” Patricia squealed.

“Um, actually, most gems don’t really eat. Or at least they don’t need t-” Steven attempted to explain to Patricia before getting interrupted by what sounded to be like a food cart.

“GET YOUR NOVABRICKS HERE! FRESHLY BREWED!” A fairly large jade gem called out, causing Patricia to look coldly at Steven.

“Alien food cart? Selling alien coffee? Connie, your boyfriend attempted to deprive me of both sweet caffeine AND/OR superpowers! What the heck, girl?!” Patricia exclaimed. All Connie could do was shrug as Patricia ran down the ramp of the warp pad area and made a b-line to the coffee stand.

“A ‘novabricks’ stand is here? Just… wha… how… freaking what?!” Connie stuttered.

“Capitalism, man.” Lapis spoke while shaking her head.

“And people thought either the cluster, or bad dancing was the worst thing to come from Earth.” Peridot said as they both followed Patricia.

“This is going to be a long day, isn’t it?” Steven moaned.

“Don’t worry, Steven, we’re still here” Garnet spoke, resting a gentle hand on Steven’s shoulder. For the first time in months, Steven didn’t feel like shirking her off. Instead, this was a welcomed feeling.

“I would honestly rather hold off on the sightseeing until we have you taken care of, Schtew-ball” Greg said, wrapping an arm around him. It seems as though most of the adults have started to pay attention to the matter at hand.

“Thank you, Garnet. Thank you, dad.” Steven sighed.

“And if need be, I can always just carry around the stragglers if need be.” Spinel said as she grew out her arms into lassos.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.” Steven spoke as the group made their way down from the warp pad area and towards the Main Diamond citadel further down the thoroughfare.

After a long trek, and a couple of breaks to catch a breath and ask around for information, Steven and the group have made it all the way to the end of the wide pathway. According to a few gems, the Diamonds are no longer in complete control, but are instead a branch of government affairs. Although the certain departments are nearly arranged in a caste-type of grouping, gems can be given certain positions. Zircons make up most of the bureaucratic branch, but they seem to have Pearls and Lapis’ in the fold. Aquamarines, Topaz’s, and rubies make up for most of security, while regular quartzes are tangled throughout it all. Even though it kind of peaked Pearls and Connie’s interest, Steven didn’t really care much about politics. What had caught his interest was the fact that The Diamonds seemed to all have different and unexpected jobs within the citadel;

Yellow was in charge of redesigning and editing gems who had been heavily corrupted, as well as helping some gems with their forms if they choose to do something else, or just for basic advice. To Steven, it almost sounds like Yellow Diamond had become both a physician and a counselor. The sheer comparison between Yellow and Priyanka had caused chills to go down his spine.

Blue had taken on the charge of emotionally healing gems who had been affected by the wars that had gone on across the galaxies, as well as those who needed to me emotionally soothed from internal trauma from being corrupted for so long. The fact that it almost sounded like Jasper caused Steven to chuckle to himself as they had continued down the citadel thoroughfare. Steven even thought that maybe Blue alone could help him. But he wanted to cover his bets. Even if it meant going to the one person who had changed the most.

White Diamond, the one many had come to fear, had become someone who didn’t do much. If they needed some minor advice, she would do what she could to help, even if it meant letting her inside their mind. The proposition of having White Diamond back in his head again was disturbing. But if it came down to either having White Diamond as a mental house guest, or being a popped meat balloon, then he’s willing to roll out the mental welcome mat.

“Steven!” A familiar voice came from behind. turning around, Steven and the group saw a large, orange gem, running at full speed. Jasper finally caught up.

“Jasper! I was wondering when you would pop up.” Steven greeted Jasper, who was wearing a bandoleer containing small green and pink vials and carrying Steven’s hot dog duffel bag that Steven may have accidentally left behind in the garden, but it now had a tube coming out of the top. “Um… what’s up with the bottles and… is that my hot dog duffel bag?”

“Wha? Oh, yeah. Just something I’ve cooked up. Wasn’t sure what would work, so I brought what I could.” Jasper said as she pulled out pink and green vials, and handed them to Steven. “The pink stuff is pure essence from crushed rose petals. It might be too potent. Not sure, but best to have some on me. and the green stuff is mashed vines. This stuff is pretty handy when it comes to removing scratches and minor cracks in gems, but It might do something for you.”

“And why is there a tube coming out of my duffle bag?” Steven asked.

“Oh, well, I needed to carry the water from Roses fountain, but I thought lugging around a large jug of it might not be so feasible.” Jasper replied. “But I put all of your clothes back at the house, and two of the jugs are sealed perfectly tight. It’s just one of them that has a tube coming out of a cork top. And also, it seems that the water from the fountain has properties that can help both humans and gems alike.”

Steven briefly explored his options before Jasper drew his attention away from the vials that were in his hands.

“Um… why are they all here?” Jasper asked as she looked on at the mixed group of humans and Gems.

“Well… they’re here for emotional support.” Steven replied. “And I might have promised them a vacation after all of this is done.”

Jaspers mouth was slightly gaped as her eyes narrowed.

“I’m not sure if I’m using the vernacular correctly, but I do believe it is a ‘bruh’ moment.” Jasper groaned as she began to massage her forehead.

“It’s very much a ‘bruh’ moment.” Steven admitted, feeling guilty that maybe something bad might happen. He internally told himself that he would make it up to them somehow if something happens that cuts this trip short.

“So, have we decided on who we should talk to first?” Jasper asked.

“Honestly, I’m thinking…Yellow Diamond?” Steven replied, not feeling too sure that he made the right choice. But judging from Jasper nodding slightly, it kind of reassured him that he did.

“Okay then. That sounds like a good place to start.” Jasper nodded. Before gaining everyone else’s attention. “Okay, everyone! We’re going to go see Yellow Diamond first. Try to stick together. It may be easy to get lost here, but it’s a lot easier to get lost in the citadel. Hold all questions until after we take care of business, please. Now, let’s get moving!”

The halls of the citadel were vast, tall, and dotted with gems going on with their daily lives. Years ago, the halls were sparse and empty of any diverse gems. But now, Pearls and Peridots could be heard talking about benign things like trading and rebuilding certain civilizations that Steven had never heard of. Large Jaspers, larger than their own, could be heard talking about art and finances. It was both refreshingly new, and fantastically dull. The only thing that sparked his interest was seeing a couple of groups of gems following Aquamarines who were waving small flags and giving tours. One group seemed to have a large section of wall moving along with them. One of them took a quick glimpse at Steven, smiled, and kept moving. Steven had wondered if it was the same section of wall that he had seen when he was younger. He felt a sense of happiness at the fact that gems can finally be themselves. He also felt a low key feeling of envy that they all seem to be doing better than he was right now.

It wasn’t before long until they were at the entrance of Yellow Diamonds chamber. Before going through the entryway, Jasper turned and faced the group.

“Okay, not to sound like a total grump or anything, but-” Jasper began to speak before being cut off.

“You mean more like a grump?” Lapis muttered. She had thought Jasper couldn’t hear her say that. But with the high ceilings that were capable of echoing even the slightest of sounds, Jasper could only blink a few times and purse her lips.

“Walked into that one like a Peridot walking off a cliff.” Jasper sighed.

“It was the one time, Jasper!” Peridot whined while lapis patted her head while everyone had rolled their eyes.

“Anyway!” Jasper grabbed everyone’s attention once more. “Try not to touch anything. A lot of the stuff in there might be fragile, or turn some of you into pickles. Best to assume that everything in that room may kill you or something. So, try not to touch anything.”

Everyone nodded in agreement as they walked through the entryway. The room was a bright lemon yellow. Some of the walls were dotted with charts of everything from odd plant life, to Vitruvian-man like diagrams of different styles and shapes of gems and their respected gem shapes. Yellow Diamond was hunched over a table, her arms slowly moving slightly as muted hums could be heard from her desk. After a few moments, she sat back up, turned in her stool, and gently placed a gem that looked almost like Garnet, but instead of two gems, it was just only one situated on their chest. The pointed nose was very familiar to a Pearl, but the bobbed hairdo reminded him of Lapis.

“Well? How do you feel?” Yellow asked in a sweet voice. The gem looked down at themselves, spun around, and stretched. She then looked up at Yellow and smiled.

“Like myself, finally.” The gem spoke as she did a graceful bow towards Yellow, causing the large diamond to wince slightly. “Thank you, M- um, Yellow Diamond.”

“Happy to help. and you don’t have to bow to me, you know.” Yellow Diamond spoke hesitantly.

“I know. But I wanted to. Just to see how it felt.” The newly formed Pearl spoke before turning away. “Thanks again. Bye!”

Yellow Diamond sighed before turning to look at the mixed bag of newcomers. Her eyes gazed over them all, ultimately landing on both Steven and Peridot.

“Ah, Steven! It’s so good to see you again! And you brought… everyone. Including the clod.” Yellow said jokingly.

“I learned from the best, you clod!” Peridot said jokingly back. Yellow Diamond smiled at the group before looking at Steven’s gem, which had started to glow brightly. Steven didn’t have to look down to know it was glowing brightly. The heat alone made sure Steven knew it was.

“Oh Steven… how long?” Yellow asked, her smile being replaced with a worried frown.

“A few Earth-months.” Steven replied. “I thought that maybe if I came here, one of you could help me? And also… I kind of know about what the Sapphires had been talking about for a while. about ‘her’ returning.”

Yellow let out a worried sigh to go along with the facial expression.

“I cannot lie to you, Steven. I’ve been looking into other alternatives as to what may be going on, and how to remedy it. Was it only just the gem glowing?” Yellow asked before turning around and tapping an orb, causing a large screen to appear, showing the same chart that Priyanka had on the holo-pad.

“Wait a tick. How does she have Steven’s medical charts?!” Priyanka exclaimed. “Those are personal and confidential files. Doctors! Only!”

Yellow Diamond looked back at Priyanka with an unamused look.

“It was… me.” Peridot sheepishly admitted. Priyanka looked disappointed at Peridot. “But to be fair, you did show it to Steven’s family. I figured you could use a second opinion from an extended relative, and a professional in gem biology.”

“Peridot… Kind of with you would have given me a heads up.” Priyanka spoke to Peridot, disappointed in her actions before turning to Yellow Diamond, who had her hand placed on a holographic keyboard, her eyes filled with alien numbers and letters as though she was looking at something only she alone could see. “And, gem biology? Is that really a thing?”

“As much as human biology. You see, when energy enters a gem’s gem, the particles, micro cracks, and arranged minerals act like a human’s genome. Each one bending the light in such a way which causes the gems to look physically different, as well as having their own personalities. Each gem being unique, all the way down to how the atoms are arranged.” Yellow explained. “Diamonds are no different. And it takes an immense amount of power to change and rearrange the atoms within. Even ones as simple as a Pearls need a delicate touch and a good amount of restrained power.”

“Do you think you might be able to do that for me?” Steven asked bluntly. “I mean… is there a way you can do that?”

There was a long pause before Yellow removed one of her hands and tapped on the sphere. She turned to look at Steven with a defeated look on her face.

“Now without removing the gem.” Yellow spoke. “And my understanding of human anatomy might be a bit shaky, but it seems as though if we did that, your immune system might slowly shut down.”

“Wait, how shaky is your understanding of human anatomy?” Priyanka asked inquisitively.

“I’ve read a few doctorates papers, a few books that were deemed to be, and I quote ‘college level’. So, adequate perhaps?” Yellow replied. “It was just in case Steven needed help like he does right now.”

“Well, do you think Blue could help?” Steven asked. Yellow thought about the possibility of Blue being of some use.

“Couldn’t hurt. But she’s all the way on the other side of the citadel. And no offence, I’m surprised you all made it this far on those legs.” Yellow spoke, looking down at the entire group.

“We manage.” Doug spoke, while shrugging.

“Well, I have a faster way to get there.” Yellow Diamond spoke as she pressed a few buttons near the edge of the desk, causing a door near the back corner to slide open, revealing an odd-looking warp pad. “It might be a tight fit, so I might need to carry a few of you while the others will have to stay on the ground.”

The warp pad glowed brightly and then faded, showing Yellow Diamond, carrying all 6 humans in her arms while the gems remained on the ground, save for Peridot, who was sitting comfortably on Yellow Diamonds shoulder. They had been transported into a large blue room, lined with windows and waterfalls. The room seemed to be large enough to have its own ecosystem, due to it having clouds hovering over them, despite them being indoors. But as they walked further in, it became evident that this was the old pool room that Blue Diamond had used as her own living space years ago when Steven was younger. But back then, Blue Diamond was the only one who ever hung out in there, and the pool was relatively smaller. Now, there were multitudes of gems lazily swimming through the water of the pool that had grown 5 times larger. Some of them were resting on the clouds as they hovered by. Yellow Diamond had walked around to the other side of the very large pool, and past the warm fog to where Blue was resting, only half of her head was poking out.

“Blue? Hon? Wake up. We got guests.” Yellow spoke as she knelt down so she could safely put the humans on the ground with the help of some of the gems beneath them. Blue’s deep, gentle eyes fluttered open and looked up at Yellow Diamond and company. Her attention fell on Steven immediately, as well as Spinel and Greg. She gently rose above the water so that she can rest her arms on the edge of the pool.

“Steven! How lovely it is for you to visit! And you even brought Spinel and your father too!” Blue smiled softly. “How has your vacation been on Earth, Spinel?”

“Vacation?” everyone muttered as they turned to look at Spinel, who could only laugh nervously.

“Um. Yeah. That.” Spinel spoke. “Okay. Got to come clean, it was mostly work, and less vacation. I kind of had some unfinished business on Earth. NOTHING BAD! Just… had to set some wrong things right.”

“You have matured a lot though it seems.” Blue stated before looking at Greg. “And how’s my favorite human, Greg?”

“Um… you know… just going with the flow.” Greg said nervously as Steven looked at his dad with some suspicious confusion.

“Ah. Yes. ‘Going with the flow’. I’ve been following that mantra too. I hoped others have been doing the same, Jasper?” Blue calmly spoke, pointing her attention to Jasper, who only just shrugged. “I’ve also been talking to some of your old friends, Greg.”

“Old friends?” Greg asked before Blue gently glided down one of the larger clouds from the sky with her mind. As the cloud landed on the ground, they could see who was sitting inside of the small, floating, cloud shape pool; the Zoomans. Greg shifted backwards in horror.

“Hello, Ga-Reg.” One of them has said coldly.

“Oh… um… hey… Wy-Five?” Greg spoke apprehensively.

“Wy-Six.” Wy-Six corrected Greg bluntly.

“Oh. Yeah. Wy-Six. How’s it been?” Greg asked kindly, if not nervously.

“You mean when you broke mine and Wy-Six’s thumpy chest muscle?! We’ve been doing great without you.” Said one of the Zooman’s even more coldly.

“Oh, hey…um… you know, I’m not even going to try to remember names anymore. I’m too old to care.” Greg sighed bluntly. “Shot in the dark though, Kay-Nine?”

“Jay-Nine.” Jay-Nine corrected him bluntly.

“My second guess was Janine.” Greg shrugged. “Look, I’m sorry I hurt you both, but can’t we put the past behind us? I’m here for my son, not for a fight.”

The Zooman’s looked at each other and nonverbally decided to leave the floating pool.

“Come on. Novabricks on me.” Wy-Six spoke as he and everyone else got out. Walking past them, Steven and Connie swore one of the Zooman’s who were trailing behind looked shockingly familiar. They thought that if one of them had a neck scarf, they would have resembled Kevin. They tried not to think too much about it if it were not for the fact that the very same Zooman had stopped abruptly to look at Steven and Connie. The Kevin-impersonator blinked their eyes, shrugged and walked away. “Keep up, Kay-Eleven! Last one there has to tip!”

“Ga-Reg?” Doug asked with a smirk. “Thumpy chest muscle?”

“I still got a picture of you with a mullet from when we were in college together, Doug-E-Fresh.” Greg spoke flatly and unamused.

“Truce! Truce! Truce!” Doug panicked.

As the Zoomans all walked away, Steven and Connie couldn’t help but look at one another with deep confusion and dread before turning their attention towards Blue.

“Um… Blue?” Steven began to ask Blue Diamond something before she spoke.

“That last one…after the drill incident, some of my gems found him on the outskirts of the town. He apparently didn’t know who he was. I think humans called it amnesia; I think?” Blue spoke. For a brief moment, Steven and Connie looked at one another before shrugging and deciding to let things be. It was less because of their mutual hatred towards Kevin, but more of their mutual hatred towards Kevin. “He hasn’t gotten his memory back, the poor thing. But his silly dancing is really amusing.”

“I bet it is, Blue.” Connie spoke. “But to the matter at hand… Steven.”

“Yes… It’s gotten worse, hasn’t it?” Blue asked.

“Yeah. It has.” Greg spoke, causing Steven to become shocked.

“Um… were you two talking to Blue behind my back?” Steven asked, looking worried.

“Steven, she’s kind of your aunt.” Greg said. “And I kind of needed some advice on how to help…”

“Please don’t take it the wrong way, Steven.” Connie spoke softly. “She cares about you as much as anyone.”

Steven knew he couldn’t stay mad at them. In a way, he kind of blames himself for not keeping in contact with her.

“It’s okay guys.” Steven spoke before turning his attention to Blue Diamond. “It’s gotten really bad, Blue. I-”

Before Steven could say anything more, his gem glowed brightly, causing him to nearly collapse to the ground before being caught by Blue Diamonds swift hand.

“Oh no. Steven. Love.” Blue diamond cooed worryingly before slightly dipping her hand into the cool pool. The water that touched Steven and his gem began to steam slightly before cooling him off immediately. “Oh dear…”

“Have you figured anything out, Blue?” Yellow asked urgently, to which Blue Diamond slowly shook her head.

“There might be a few things I could have tried. But I can sense something in him. The Gem. The Diamond.” Blue spoke, sounding worried and scared. she gently placed her pinky finger under Steven’s chin and slowly raised it so that he could meet her gaze. He wasn’t quite sure how, but he sensed something. Someone. It was like someone was trying to reach out to him from within. This may have been what the Diamonds had felt when Steven tried to telepathically reach them years ago. “She’s there… The Sapphires were right. We’re going to have to talk to White.”

“I was afraid you would say that.” Steven groaned as he attempted to stand up on Blue’s hand. “

“So am I, Steven.” Blue spoke softly as she brushed Stevens' cheek. “But you won’t be alone.”

Even after taking the warp pad again, they still had to walk a considerable amount to the top of the citadel where White Diamonds chamber was. As the humans were being carried by Yellow Diamond before, this time, Blue was carrying Steven, Connie, Greg, and Pearl, while the rest hitched a ride in Yellow’s arms. As they traveled on, Steven still had questions.

“Blue?” Steven looked up at Blue Diamond, who was cradling him and the others in her hair loop.

“Yes Steven?” Blue replied.

“Do… Do you know where White Diamond came from? Where did you come from?” Steven asked directly, but sounded worried that he may not get a true answer. Pearl, who was with him, shared his concern. And to strike a blow at his hopes, Steven noticed Blue’s expression becoming more distressed.

“I… I don’t have a proper answer to that Steven.” Blue spoke. “Because even Yellow and I don’t know ourselves. White made sure that the subject matter would have never been brought up. We wouldn’t give much thought about it. Or at least, not until now.”

“’Not until now’?” Steven repeated the statement in the form of a question.

“Well… The Sapphires, or Eight-Eyes for that matter, predicted that you would come back to Homeworld. Your gem would cause you great peril. And you would ask the question no gem has asked for millennia.” Blue replied, a sense of dread had begun to overcome her. “And when that happens, Pink Diamond would… I’m not ready.”

“Not ready for what?” Steven asked. “Why is everyone so afraid of my mom?”

“It’s… Steven. I want to explain to you so much why Yellow and I are terrified. Why so many gems have been in a passive state of dread, but I cannot find the words.” Blue said, a tear streaking down her cheek. “We’ll be with you though. Even if we have to deal with the past all over again, We’re going to be with you. No matter what.”

Steven was taken aback by what Blue Diamond said. He looked over at Pearl, who looked as terrified as Blue did.

“Pearl… Was my mom… a bad person?” Steven asked reluctantly. Pearl looked at Steven with sympathetic eyes.

“Steven… You mom… she became a wonderful, heartfelt person in the time I had known her. The things her original Pearl had told me, on the other hand…” Pearl nearly began to trail off before finding the words again. “Let’s just say that she became someone infinitely better than who she was a long time ago. Look at Jasper. Look at Spinel. Look at the Diamonds! They all grew in ways no one had ever anticipated. But your mom… She came a long way. Be proud of her for that. Be proud of yourself for helping others grow.”

Steven felt slightly better about his feelings about his mom, but was still concerned for everyone else. even if his dad and Connie had shown him that he was okay, he had an unsettling feeling that something was about to happen. And at that moment, they had stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly, genuinely, liked "Homeworld Bound", because it showed Steven actually attempting to seek out help from not-as-toxic-as-they-used-to-be people. But this time around, I wanted to bring almost everyone along. Steven needs the support.
> 
> And yeah... Kevin, who has amnesia, is now a Zooman. He's happier that way.


	3. Decend into the catacombs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and the group finally finds White Diamond, who has been dreading this day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for dumb-as-hell conspiracy theories...

Steven, Connie, Greg, and Pearl looked out over Blue Diamond's hair loop to see that they had arrived at a tall, alabaster archway that led into an even larger room. It was even tall for Diamond standards. But before they could go in, Steven could overhear voices coming from inside. Blue and Yellow took a few steps back as to not intrude on White Diamond’s conversation if someone who spoke with what seemed to be multiple voices at once.

“The question though. It had been asked. He is here, my Diamond.” The multitude of voices spoke. Steven had assumed that it might be the gem fusion known as ‘Eight-Eyes’.

“Why now of all times?” White Diamond slightly wailed. “First I have flashbacks of me putting Pink in that damnable tower, a memory I might add being something I don’t want to remember. But now Steven is here too?!”

“With his entourage of familiars and friends.” Eight-eyes had spoken, sounding like a deep echo in a vast cave.

“Great. I have to entertain his gem friends too! By the stars, Steven!” White whined. “And he’s going to want the answer to THAT question as well. I swore to never go back to the catacombs long ago. And now… “

“He will understand.” Eight-Eyes spoke. “But I fear as though an old enemy of his will emerge. You must be on your guard, my Diamond.”

“I always am, Eight.” White Diamond said flatly. “But… I cannot go back down there. What if he doesn’t understand? What if he goes back to hating me? Hating the Diamonds? We’ve made so much leadway. Can’t I just lie to him and give him that stupid meteor story?”

“I’m afraid one of his friends, the Peridot, had already dispelled that theory.” Eight-eyes stated. “Plus, it would be futile. He’s not only here for answers of the Diamonds origins, but also to try to fix his gem the only way that can be healed in his situation.”

“Removal.” White replied reluctantly. “I had literally dreamed of pulling that thing out. Now that I had gotten over that obsession and moved on, I have to actually do that in real life?!”

“In the dream, he chose to take it out himself, did he not? It was a premonition of him deciding to come to you to solve a major problem.” Eight-Eyes responded.

“Now you’re just grasping at pebbles.” White Diamond spoke in a frustrated tone. “But let’s say that he’s willing to let me remove his gem. What then?”

“Then you must confront your mistakes. Learn to accept what you have done. That it’s okay to feel those feelings.” Eight-Eyes spoke.

“What feelings? I feel perfectly fine!” White diamond exclaimed.

“You’re perfectly lying to yourself.” Eight-Eyes responded without missing a beat. “When she reforms, you will have to walk her through her life for the most part. Not the bad things mind you. Just show her that she was a diamond, someone who ends up getting what she wanted. Steven will take care of the rest.”

“Oh no… How am I going to try to explain all of this to him?” White Diamond asked rhetorically. “’Why hello, Steven! So nice of you to drop by. Oh! Having trouble with your gem? Wanting to know more about the history of the Diamonds? How about I tell you how I was just some stupid experiment my a bygone civilization while I yank out your gem and confront all of my mistakes?!’. Yeah. Great plan!”

“Well… you might not need to worry about how you’re going to explain things to him then.” Eight-eyes spoke nervously. “He and his entourage, as well as the Diamonds are standing outside the entryway.”

A long pause had choked the atmosphere. It felt as though time had stopped, and all there was to fear was dread.

“Leave. Now.” White Diamond said bluntly. A set of four footsteps could be heard coming from the main hall, and through the entryway. It looked like a larger form of Sapphire, but instead of one eye, there were 8, arranged in an upside down heart shape. Three across, one above the middle eye, and two eyes above and below the initial 3. Half of them winked at Steven as she walked by, leaving Steven feeling uneasy. “Might as well come in!”

As they walked through the entryway, there was an area the size of a soccer field, pillars lined both sides, with the other end of the room being adorn in a lattice wall panel. The afternoon light had left a golden glow throughout the court of White Diamond. White Diamond herself sat on a throne, her head in her hand, and her eyes shut. She massaged the area around her gem as though she was suffering from the same dull ache Steven does. Steven indicated to Blue that he wanted to be let down onto the ground. The worried look on Blue Diamond’s face showed a deep reluctance, but knew that she had to trust Steven. Once on the ground, Steven walked forward, along with his friends and family. He had shared the same sense of nervousness as everyone else. But at this point, there was no turning back. He had to talk to her.

“Um… Hey, White.” Steven spoke nervously.

“Hello Steven.” White Diamond mumbled as she pulled her hand away from her face. The dull look in her eyes landed on Steven’s gem, which was glowing brighter than ever. “Yeah. That doesn’t look normal.”

“Nothing in my life was ever normal.” Steven replied bluntly. “I heard everything, and… I don’t know where to begin!”

“Well, at least we’re on the same page there.” White Diamond agreed with Steven’s sentiment. “Might as well get the hard part out of the way, and take you all to the catacombs.”

“White…” Blue attempted to find words, but none could come to mind as White Diamond interrupted.

“It was something I was hoping to keep from you all.” White Diamond spoke as she got up and walked towards them. “But I guess there’s no going back now. Blue, Yellow, pick them all up, and stand close to me. I haven’t done this in ages, so I might be rusty.”

“Wait. Rusty?” Steven asked before Blue Diamond scooped them all up, and walked closely to White Diamond.

“Best case scenario, no one accidentally gets fused permanently to one another.” She spoke as she draped her cape around Blue and Yellow. In an instant, Steven swore they were going through a warp pad, but he didn’t remember seeing one on the ground.

And just as the bright light appeared all around them, it had faded, revealing the deep caverns that Steven once came to after the trial incident. Holes lined the walls of Gems that had emerged from the ground. As white Diamond turned around, Steven could see two sheets of metal that looked like an ancient sliding door. He had half expected White Diamond to shift some hidden mechanisms to open it, or even a key pad. But for one of this size, Steven didn’t know how White Diamond was going to open it. All of the sudden, White Diamond, with an open sideways hand, plunged it through the two doors, and ripped it open in one fell swoop. It almost seems like something an Amethyst, or a Jasper would try to do. Seeing her do that though had showed Steven that even someone as elegant looking as White Diamond can sometimes take the simple path, and destroy the door.

White Diamond hunched down slightly as she had to make her head fit through the archway. It didn’t seem like it was any trouble for Blue and Yellow to walk through the doorway. Afterwards, the Diamonds had to contend with a very small set of stairs. Ones nearly caused Yellow Diamond to slip briefly. Seeing as though this was a little too treacherous, she placed the humans and gems she was carrying with her onto the ground. And allowed them a few moments to get far enough ahead of her. Blue Diamond, on the other hand, had showed a sense of grace as she seemingly hovered down the stairway, and into a dark hallway. The echoes of the footsteps hummed throughout the place. It was pitch black to the point Steven couldn’t see anyone around him unless he moved his hand away from his gem. When he did, all he could see were confused and scared faces.

“How deep are we going?” Steven asked before Blue Diamond stopped before completely tripping on something, causing everyone she was carrying to shift around.

“White! Do you think it’s possible for you to… well…” Blue Diamond had attempted to ask for something, yet despite the fact that she couldn’t find the right words, White Diamond ultimately knew what she was asking for. Light.

“Sorry. Forgot that no one could see in the dark except me.” White Diamond spoke before letting off a moderately bright white glow. The light not only had bounced off the walls, but also off the walkways on the walls. Alcoves of strange computer stations nestled within could be seen. Etchings and lines carved within the spaces between one floor and another showed exposed wiring. There were large areas on the walls that showed deep claw marks, or singed lines going across the ground. “We’re almost there. Come along.”

Steven, Connie, Greg, and Pearl were not quite sure how they could process what they were seeing. What they would hear next would be even harder.

“Back in the throne room, you may have overheard me speak about how I was an experiment?” White Diamond asked. “Before the gems. Before the Authority. Before you, Blue and Yellow, and before me, there was another civilization that existed. Much of their monuments and buildings are all but dust and rubble that dot the catacombs. But for a time, they stood tall. The name of their civilization had been lost to time, but not their pursuit of perfection.”

They continued to walk through the dimly lit corridors, and tight corners. The scratches and burn marks dot the walls around them. Broken computers were sliced open, and wires hung around them like vines inside of an ancient temple.

“So… you were made by them, White?” Yellow asked from behind, who was bringing up the rear.

“More or less.” White replied. “They had technology that seemed to surpass any known civilization. They colonized worlds, plundered the ones who were getting more advanced than they had anticipated. They enslaved, the conquered, they destroyed.”

“All the same things we did then.” Blue spoke softly, and slightly mournfully.

“Sadly… we sometimes pick up all the bad habits from those who created us.” White replied as they had entered a much larger room at the end of the hall. It was dome shaped, and spacious enough for White Diamond to comfortably stretch her arms out, causing some of the ingrained lines in the walls to glow brightly with a light blue hue. “They sought perfection, on all levels, at all costs. They were cold, calculative, precise, and ultimately blind as to what they were really reaching for.”

Steven, Connie, Greg, and Pearl peaked over Blue Diamond's hair to see a room where the floor was covered in scrapes, and dotted with craters. Sunken areas in the ground showed that their inner edges were lined with more computer consoles, with only a small handful of them looking possibly intact.

“What is this room?” Steven asked out loud without realizing what he had done before it was too late.

“This place, dear Steven, is the resting place of a civilization that demanded something that could never be granted. Something that no one can truly comprehend the real price of until it was far too late. A lesson was learned here.” White Diamond spoke bluntly as the room grew slightly brighter. “This was the place where they created an automaton, powered by light, self-sustaining, and seemingly perfect in every way. It was a place where I was created, a stalwart that was designed to make things perfect for them.”

Blue placed everyone on the ground once more for them to walk around. In some of the pits, Steven could only see stone rubble in the sunken areas. He never found any skeletons, much to his disappointment. But what he did find was something he had only seen on certain cooking shows; blunt, short beaks. The kind that one would find on a cephalopod. It gave Steven some idea of what they might have looked like. But for now, there were other things to focus on.

“I’m going to guess that their civilization was far from perfect.” Steven spoke as he looked around the room. “And since you were told to make things perfect, you destroyed them?”

“A bit on the nose… but you’re close.” White Diamond spoke as she walked to the near center of the room where a bench was. “I was… programmed to help create a perfect society FOR them. But how can one do something like that when they themselves were far from perfect. There's no such things as perfection. And even if there was, what would be the cost to attain it? Would it be worth the things you lost? These questions cannot be answered, for the silence is the answer. It cost them everything. and in the same way, at some point, the Diamond Authority would also pay the price as well if it weren’t for the constant colonization of planets, star systems, and conquering civilizations just to constantly grow and expand the search of the thing that never was.”

Her voice echoed throughout the dome. And for a moment, there was silence. One that, moments later, was broken by the sickly laugh of something coming from the entryway.

“Ah, the threat emerges.” Yellow groaned. As everyone turned to look behind them at the sight of something small fluttering in the air. Steven’s stomach dropped when he saw it fly closer to them, and could accurately see what I might have been.

“So. The great and powerful Diamond is nothing more than a computer then?” The flying entity spoke. “No wonder you let the empire turn into shambles. You were nothing more than a glitch. A faulty device.”

“That… that voice… no…” Steven muttered to himself.

“Right. When the Oracle of the Eight-Eyes told me that I would be facing a threat, I thought she meant something akin to a giant monster. Or maybe even facing my own internal struggles.” White said, sounding unamused. “But instead, we get… this? A… What are you?”

“Something infinitely better than you. At the same time, I’m sure Steven can remember me. The one that kidnapped your friends? The one who made you sacrifice it all? The one whom you foiled the plan to reclaim Earth for White Diamond?” the entity spoke as it flew closer to Steven. It’s eye. The cheek. The belly button. “Do you see? Do you see the perfect fusion? Do you see your demise, Steven?”

Steven’s eyes grew wide.

“No… I bubbled you. I bubbled both of you! Aquamarine! Navy! EYEBALL?!” Steven exclaimed loudly in fear. “Where have YOU been?!”

“All the ones whom you had wronged. The ones who you crossed in the wrong way!” The entity exclaimed with a mad grin. “But since I’m all three of those things, how about you call me… Bluebird?”

The room grew silent once more.

“Wait… ‘Bluebird’?” Steven asked in a flat tone. “That’s… that’s the name you’re going to go with? Not like ‘the flying terror? Or something maybe a bit more intimidating?”

Bluebird shook her head slightly.

“tsk, tsk, Steven. You’re really overthinking things. But allow me to kindly CUT to the point!” Bluebird spoke menacingly before producing a strange rod from within her gem. Steven wasn’t quite sure what it was at first until he heard an audible click, and saw two scythe shaped blades that seemed to be made out of violet light. “Found this little thing inside Pink Diamond's chest inside that fowl beast of a pet she brought back from the dead.”

“The… the treasure chest?! Wait, why would my mom have a rejuvenating scythe?!” Steven asked loudly.

“It was because we thought she was having a hard time trying to control her court.” Yellow Diamond exclaimed. “we thought something like that would work, but it seems like she had never used it.”

“At least not until now, Steven.” Bluebird cackled madly. “You had everyone here convinced that being empathetic and open minded to things was the best way to go. You even had them give up status and authority. For that, I thank you, Steven. you created the perfect power vacuum for me to take over.”

“Y-you do know that you’re in a room with 3 diamonds, a handful of powerful gems, a few humans, and a physician who could pull your gems out with her bare hands without you knowing, right?” Steven asked bluntly.

“Station and race plays no part in this, for you see, it’s time for these fools to step aside and bear witness to true greatness.” Bluebird spoke. “Now is the age of true power, of true conquest. Now is the end of your weak and pathetic excuse of a reformed society. Now is the eve of your impending d-”

Bluebird had stopped in mid-sentence when a long, pink arm wrapped itself around Bluebird tightly, causing her to drop the scythe. Spinel had enough.

“You know, I really hate the trope of long winded monologues, so I’m just going to ask the diamonds to duck now so that I can-” Spinel spoke before leaping into the air and swinging her clenched fist that contained Bluebird against the wall. Scraping off bits and pieces of stone, as she was seemingly grinding Bluebird against it all. After a few times, she began to change course, ultimately swinging them onto the ground hard enough to leave a crater as well as a poof of smoke. “Bring things full circle.”

Everyone had walked over to the crater to look at who was all inside. Somewhat surprised, Steven wasn’t totally incorrect about who Bluebird really was. It was indeed the amalgamation of Aquamarine, Eyebrow, and Navy. Sadly though, it also contained Pink Pearl.

“So that’s what happened to her!” Pearl spoke out loud.

“Her old pearl… I cannot believe this.” Yellow spoke with anger in her tone.

Spinel walked over to the scythe, and with a slight click, the dual blades vanished.

“I was honestly hoping they would have put up a decent fight.” White Diamond lamented.

“Steven… I know you said not to shatter any more gems, but… can we make a few exceptions?” Blue Diamond asked. “Please?”

“No, Blue. If we did that, then we wouldn’t be any better than them.” Steven replied.

“Hmmm. That makes sense…” Blue Diamond spoke.

“But what do we do with them though?” Connie asked. “Clearly bubbling them didn’t work last time.”

“I… may have one idea…” Spinel spoke, still holding the rod of the dual scythes. Steven knew exactly what she was thinking.

“It… probably would be best. Diamonds? Should we give them a clean slate?” Steven looked up at the Diamonds. It took a few moments before they all nodded in agreement. “Okay Spinel. You do you. One last time.

Spinel nodded, began to wear a sly grin, and jump down into the pit. Steven heard the activating of a blade, multiple wooshes, and the blade turning off again. Spinel jumped back up, handed Steven the gems, and snapped the rod in half, only to toss it back into the pit.

“Never again, Steven.” Spinel said bluntly. “Sorry it had to come to that. I hate monologues as much as I hate someone threatening my friends.”

“It’s okay, Spinel.” Steven reassured her before a sharp pain struck his gem. His skin glowed brightly.

“Oh stars.” White Diamond gasped as she looked down at Steven, who not only was starting to glow pink, but had started to grow as well, but not all in the same places as once. His forearms grew and then shrunk, at the same time one of his legs grew to half the size of his body mass. Each time his body had shifted its shape, he howled in agonized pain.

“Steven! What’s happening to him!” Blue Diamond cried out.

“It’s getting worse!” Priyanka yelled over the wailing. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but get that diamond out of him, White!”

“I- I can’t!” White Diamond yelled back. “It might kill him! I can’t do that to him!”

“HIS GEM IS KILLING HIM!” Garnet roared. “Please! Save him!”

Though conflicted with what she was about to do next, she walked over to Steven, who’s body kept shifting, shrinking, and growing. She rolled him on his back, and carefully placed her fingernails on the edges of his gem.

“Steven…” White spoke as Steven kept screaming. “Forgive me.”

In one swift action, she had plucked the gem from his stomach like how one would pull the stem off of a grape. His body had then shifted, slowly, back to normal. The pain slowly subsided. His screams turned to a loud moan, to a whimper, and then to a deep sigh. Gem in one hand, White Diamond, who had a tear streaking down her face, gently placed Steven in the hands of Blue and Yellow Diamond, who lowered him back down onto the ground. Everyone had rushed to his side, eyes filled with fear and worry. The world around Steven began to grow blurry. Sounds had begun to be muted. He could see Priyanka rummaging around her bag to pull out a stethoscope. As she did, their faces had become blurry. He could feel the cold piece of metal against his chest and stomach. It soothed his aching body enough to help him breathe some more. As he felt a tube enter his mouth, he saw a faint pink glow somewhere above him. Could it have been what the Sapphires had feared this entire time? Was it her? Had she returned? Had she reformed? Pink Diamond?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah. If this was the show, some people who calls the shots would just leave it here for a year before remembering that it exists. Not me... not entirely at least. These stories are getting longer and harder to write.

**Author's Note:**

> Pack your bags. You're off to homeworld. No helmets allowed.


End file.
